Fact Sheet Poverty in California By Sarah Bohn, Caroline Danielson, Sara Kimberlin, Patricia Malagon Oct 18, 2023 With the end of many pandemic relief programs, poverty rates—especially for children—have gone up in the last two years.
Report Higher Education in California: Meeting California’s Workforce Needs By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 1, 2019 Strong and growing demand for highly educated workers has been a hallmark of the state’s economy for decades, and forecasts show this demand continuing into the future. But the importance of increasing the number of college graduates goes beyond workforce needs.
Report Will California Run Out of College Graduates? By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 12, 2015 California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow? This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap. Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market. The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.
Fact Sheet The Working Poor in California By Sarah Bohn, Caroline Danielson, Sara Kimberlin, Patricia Malagon Oct 18, 2023 Most poor families in California are working. Poverty rates among working adults are highest in southern, coastal California.
blog post California’s Housing Divide By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson, Julien Lafortune May 13, 2022 African Americans and Latinos have been especially affected by the state’s housing affordability crisis, and the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on households of color threatens to widen disparities in homeownership.
blog post Testimony: Closing California’s Degree Gap By Hans Johnson Mar 3, 2016 The most promising approach to closing the workforce skills gap is to concentrate on improving the educational attainment of California residents.
blog post Video: Setting the Stage for Universal Preschool By Vicki Hsieh May 17, 2022 PPIC researcher Emmanuel Prunty presents new findings on access to Transitional Kindergarten (TK) across diverse student groups, and an expert panel discusses how to ensure an equitable expansion of TK.
Report Priorities for California’s Economy By Sarah Bohn, Vicki Hsieh, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Jenny Duan ... Jan 31, 2024 Though California faces considerable economic uncertainty, it also has tremendous potential to overcome the obstacles ahead. Practical policy solutions to promote a robust, resilient economy should build on the skills, diversity, and innovation of Californians.
blog post College Graduates and California’s Future By Mark Baldassare, Hans Johnson Nov 16, 2017 California’s population and economy are changing, and its higher education institutions need to increase both college enrollment and completion rates.
blog post Groundhog Day for the California Economy? By Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Julien Lafortune Dec 6, 2021 A close look at the state’s recent job growth sheds light on whether California will see a repeat of last winter’s economic slowdown.
